Marivel Dsh
map-marker Chicago, Illinois

Warranty work

I bought a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am from this dealer in May of 2012. Because I am such a "good customer" they told me, I got a 90 day warranty. When I got it home I discovered that the rear window wouldn't go all the way up. There was a two inch gap. (My bad. I should have noticed.) Well, it needed a new regulator because the spool was jammed up with the cable. I bought a part on line for $58 and did it myself. I sent an e-mail to the salesman informing him about it and asking a couple of other questions. He never contacted me. So, six weeks later the car wouldn't start. It would crank over but not start. I called the dealer and they told me to contact their towing company. They kept the car for two days and told me it wasn't acting up...except that it needed a new battery and I would be paying for the tow. (Total: $258) On the second day they said they pounded on the fuel pump until it stopped working. That part WAS covered. Right after I picked it up it was doing the same thing once in a while, cranks but won't start. You could hear that the fuel pump wasn't pressurizing the system. Finally it left me stranded again. All day. So I came back in the cool of the evening and it started. I drove it right to the dealer and parked it. I found out after three days that it was the ignition switch. Another $564 that isn't covered. So, in less than 90 days I've shelled out $880 and Feeny says that's just too bad.
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Anonymous
map-marker Chicago, Illinois

Auto mechanics rip off

For reasons most people understand, a man who wants to have his car cared for by the best mechanics in town will take that car straight to the dealership. The auto repair profession has been given a bad name from the countless operations that will rip you off if you don't know anything about cars. Most of us feel quite confident when taking a car to the one place in town that should be dependable, trustworthy and competent, not to mention honest. I was one of those trusting people who wanted to have my car fixed, even if cost a bit more than the garage down the street. I was confident that Feeny Crysler Jeep Dodge in Elgin Illinois would do the job that I needed done, an efficient and professional treatment of my 99 Dodge Dakota. If anyone at Feeny's had told me that the car wasn't worth fixing, or at least admitted that it would require major, costly work, I would have been in a position to make an informed decision. Instead, They mislead me, threw part after part at my car and then charged me handsomely for a vehicle that still needed thousands of dollars work. Then, after I had put three thousand dollars into the Dakota, my cash, vehicle and transportation was held hostage for close to a month after which I slowly realized that the vehicle wasn't worth fixing. At the beginning, I was told that my vehicle need a "2 to 4 hour" computer check to find out why the check engine light wouldn't go off. I have since found out that there is no such thing as a 2 to 4 hour computer check. I spoke to a reputable mechanic who told me that if an engine had a problem, the usual course of action is to tell the customer that there is a problem in the engine and that he would have to tear the engine apart to find that problem. He also said that he would warn the customer that there would be a hefty charge for this service. While that isn't something you'd like to hear, it is honest and it does give you a chance to end the cash flow right there. Instead, Feeny's Service Department threw part after part at my vehicle. I've also learned that there is a "service tree" that dictates the order in which a problem is diagnosed. But Feeny didn't do that, They told me that I needed a new computer for hundreds of dollars. Then I was informed that the alternator was no good. Honest mechanics would have checked the alternator before installing an entire computer in a vehicle built 13 years ago. Here is a list of the parts that were thrown at my car before I was informed that the original problem still existed. I don't know what most of them are, but I have the work orders to list the parts: 99 misc. 8CP9 $507.60 R604****AH Module-Powertrain Control $670.00 5604****AF $111.50 8 CP9 $72.80 1 RL104763AA $280.00 Rear Wheel Sensor $136.50 1 5602****AE $58.05 Environmental fee $15.00 1 5301****AB $56.00 One half hour of diagnostics (that never found the problem) $40.00 All of those parts were installed after I had already paid an initial $584.23 for an oil pump and a tune up to get the car on the road. I also paid $1954.83 to replace the transmission which was a problem that I was aware of when I purchased the vehicle for a thousand dollars. After Feeny twentyed and fiftied me out of thousands of dollars and were in possession of the closest thing I had to a down payment on another car, I decided to purchase a new vehicle and to my discredit, I chose to purchase that vehicle from Feeny's Used Car department. I used the Dakota as a trade in. Imagine my surprise when I was offered $1000 trade in value after paying Fenny's well over $2000 to repair the albatross! So, I bought a Jeep Cherokee after being told that it "only needed some work on the brakes". Why I took their word for that is beyond me and I accept responsibility for making a bad judgement but I was STILL working on the premise that such a dealership cared about their reputation. 3 days after purchasing the Jeep, it broke down on the highway and I had to pay $702.83 to repair a totally shot coolant system including the fan. Numerous other problems have popped up on the Jeep, one window doesn't go up once it was lowered, the back door won't latch and neither the hood nor the back latch has working hydraulics with which you could hold the hood up in order to work on the engine or load the rear end. I bought a 4 Speed Jeep and slid in the snow, almost causing an accident. That isn't something you'd expect when you've purchased a Jeep. Now I'm told that another $800 will fix the "seals". I don't even know what that means and it still doesn't address the numerous minor problems that I mentioned. I may not know much about cars and perhaps another customer would have been a bit more leery at the treatment received by Feeny's, but as I said, I was under the impression that a dealership would care more about their own reputation than to treat a customer like this. After spending thousands and thousands of dollars at Feeny's, I still have no reliable transportation. I have requested help many times but after numerous promises that Feeny's "would make things right", I have heard nothing from them, not even a well deserved apology. Perhaps I'm guilty of being too trustworthy when dealing with the "professionals" at Feeny's but they are sadly and disappointingly guilty of far more than incompetence. With no end to my transportation problems in sight, Feeny's is still, surprisingly, in business. I've learned my lesson well and Feeny's absolutely won't be getting my business anymore. It's just too bad that, after paying for what could have been a new vehicle, I sit here with my 13 year old Feeny's Jeep Cherokee that cannot be trusted to drive my loved ones to a Cubs game. I don't know how those people sleep at night.
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2 comments
Guest

Good suggest, advice, sharing... Thanks Ironhorse. :)

Guest

I was a mechanic for over 30 years and also the owner--after reading your about your experence-- i see a few things you could have done better--always have them explain the items and what they were use for on your repair bill--NEVER NEVER leave there untill you know what everything is--even if they have to explain over and over--its your money and you have a right to know where it went--as far as repairing a older car--you give me one with 100,000 miles and trust me-i can find plenty wrong with it not saying everything would cost alot to repair--but its there--thats one of the down side to drive an older car--it's only to much to spend if it's not worth it to you to keep for another 4-5 years--when i saw a car was going to be expensive to repair--i'd always ask the customer " do you want me to tell you want you want to hear OR what you need to hear" that always got a smile out of them and made them more relaxed--then we'd go over what i'd found--i always worked on the idea that i will not get rich on a one time repair bill of say 1000.00--where i made a good living was giving great service being as honest as possable and doing the very best repair i could--when i did that--you would bring your car back over many years--when i retired i was working on some 3rd generation customers--did i get rich ? nope--did i enjoy my work and customers--you bet--dealerships can do good work BUT there are plenty of independent repair shops also--just ask around--it won't take long to *** out the bad one's-- i heard that if you do bad work--the customer will tell an average of 12 people--but if you do good work--they only tell about 3--go figure--but the bad ones come out first--good luck

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